YOKE DU YOUR

A blonde driving a car became lost in a snowstorm. She didn’t panic however, because she remembered what her dad had once told her. “If you ever get stuck in a snowstorm, just wait for a snow plow to come by and follow it.”

Sure enough, pretty soon a snow plow came by, and she started to follow it. She followed the plow for about forty-five minutes. Finally the driver of the truck got out and asked her what she was doing. And she explained that her dad had told her if she ever got stuck in a snow storm, to follow a plow.

The driver nodded and said, “Well, I’m done with the Wal-Mart parking lot, do you want to follow me over to Best Buy now?”

ARTspiration

Artists or art that turns me on and feeds my muse! Like it or dislike it, what about this art inspires your own art or creativity? This is Nude Oil by Igor Sychev.

DESIGNspiration

Look around you. Design is everywhere! How can you incorporate the beauty that surrounds you into your art or craft? Wooden floors.

IDEA I LOVE

I was just out shopping with Mr. Electric and spied some striped candles (our favorites). I kept them on the shelf when I saw how expensive they’ve become. This tutorial offers a perfect, really affordable, solution. I’ll have Mr. Electric make some! LOL You can, too. Here’s how:

IDEA I LOVE

Your hostess won’t know whether to accept or shoot your gift. Wait until she finds out there’s a bottle of booze wrapped in that fur muskrat. I laughed hard when I saw then, then started to dig through my stash for faux fur. These are a must make for the holidays:

HOW TO FIGHT A COLD

COLD BUSTER SMOOTHIE

IF YOU HAVEN’T SUBSCRIBED TO THIS BLOG YET:

For well over 2 years, I have been posting up to 20 links per day or every other day, on the Mark Lipinski’s Fan Pageon Facebook. Of course, in Facebook’s never ending quest to make lots of money, Facebook seems to have abandoned their mission of a real social networking site and it has become more about Facebook revenue.

Several months ago, Facebook, without warning, had implemented a new business model. As a result, the vast majority of “LIKErs” who have been faithful readers of this Fan Page have been blocked from receiving my posts, time and time again, from getting all or a few of the postings onto their timeline feed.

The reason is, Facebook would like pages like, Mark Lipinski’s Fan Page, to pay money every day, and on every post, in order to advertise and lure readers like you, onto the Fan Page.

With out “BOOSTING” a post, only about 5% of people who clicked LIKE on the Fan Page are actually seeing anything I post — and it could be random – sometimes you get a post, and sometimes not. Basically, it sucks for all of us. I am finding that we are all better served if I posted my tips, ideas, links, and jokes, etc. to my blog. You can subscribe to my blog (only if you wan to) and get an email each time I post a grouping of ideas, links, etc.

I AM NOT shutting down Mark Lipinski’s Fan Page on Facebook and you are welcome to follow me there, too. What I am doing is putting everything that used to be on the Fan Page individually onto my blog, AND there will be a daily link to the idea blog on the Fan Page, just as there were multiple links to the various blogs that I’ve always linked to in the past. It’s not that different, really. It will save me a lot of time, and guarantee those who want to see the creative posts will actually get to see them. And Facebookers, will STILL have to click on “GET NOTIFICATIONS” in your Facebook Settings if they want to see what I post on Facebook (sometimes that works, but not all of the time).

Actually, my new model gives you at least TWO ways to get all of the ideas, etc. PLUS you can PIN them and they will be TAGGED so you can find them again in the search bar even years later. – through the FACEBOOK FAN PAGE and YOUR CHOICE (not mandatory) to subscribe to the blog and get email postings that way.

BREATHLESS INSPIRATION!

If you happen to be walking through the woods in High Falls, New York and stumble upon a sizable, candy-colored house, don’t fret. You are not hallucinating, nor have you walked into a terrifying, Hansel and Gretel-like situation. You’ve found artist Kat O’Sullivan’s abode, a 19th century farmhouse she converted into a rainbow paradise.

IDEA I LOVE

I love fingerless gloves that transform to mittens! It’s the best of both — warm hands and gloves that allow you to use your hands! If you can knit, you must make a pair of these for yourself (and a pair for me, too, LOL). Start here:

IDEA I LOVE

OK, not so exciting or novel, but maybe it’s time to gather the sewing crap that doesn’t have a home and create a safe place. Not many supplies needed and quick to make. A great gift for your sewing pals. Here’s how you make it:

WORDS TO LIVE BY

IDEA I LOVE

Turn old t-shirts into homemade baker’s twine to use as ribbon for holiday gifts. Butcher paper or brown paper (as in recycling some bags) as a wrapping paper with this tied around it, is both charming and planet friendly.

IDEA I LOVE!

Here’s a pillowcase tutorial with a twist. This pillowcase pattern included an end pocket so the pillow is completely hidden and can’t fall out (not that falling out has been a problem for me). I love this idea. Check it out here:

BE DAZZLED!

Rene Lalique Plique-a-Jour Enamel and Diamond Plaque de Cou, $185,000

Plique-a-jour enamel and diamond “Plaque de Cou”, in the form of a pansy flower, decorated with plique-a-jour enamel, the rich blue centre enhanced with silver paillons within the flux, the whole finished with a mixture of old brilliant cut and rose cut diamonds. By Rene Lalique, Paris c.1905

SHOEspiration

WHAT I LOVE

I hate carrying bags with me into the grocery stores, but I also hate grocery store bags in the back of my Jeep. I love the idea of making big bags for your car that you put your groceries in in the grocery store parking lot. Now, you can carry in all of your groceries in half the time and those cheesy plastic grocery bags haven’t rolled all over your trunk space. Here’s how to make a set to fit your car:

Did You Miss Yesterday’s Book Review Saturday?

SLOW STITCHING

STASH SLASHING!

One creative’s hoard is another creative’s treasure . . . read on:

When I began The Slow Stitching Movement I asked stitchers and quilters to reduce their impact on the planet and their creative psyches by letting go of the stash of books, papers, patterns fabrics, and tools that they have been collecting over many years and haven’t used. I have been preaching to myself. So, in an effort to put my money where my mouth is, to open my creativity by being less boxed in by ‘stuff’, I have begun posting boxes of book and fabric bundles on eBay for various charities.

Here’s how I price the packages . . . I research the amount an individual could buy each of these books or fabricss, pre-owned, at their lowest online price. I total the price, split it in half and add Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping (about $12.65). Then I add a little surprise from my stash as a bonus (it could be extra fabrics, a book ,or notion).

I WILL BE ADDING AT LEAST ONE NEW PRIORITY MAIL BOX FULL OF GOODIES

TO THE eBAY LISTINGS EVERY DAY!

Please visit my eBay store to do me, you, and a few of my local charities a favor and check out my eBay store for what I’ve listed each day:

I have a solution to the striped candles. Do all the prep with the masking tape as in the blog, but melt crayons (yeah!!! 64 colors even have metalics!!!) into the various compartments in a cheap ice cube tray (I *think* they still make these?) using a wide enough pan with some water in the pan and rest the ice cube tray on it and slowly bring the water up to temp to melt the crayons. Grating the wax of the crayons is probably the best idea, too. Then paint on the stripes with a stiff brush. I did this with round candles, too. Supervision of children helpers is necessary!!!